


of cats and crocs

by DuendeJunior



Series: the Katsu-verse [2]
Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Sparkly Pink Crocs Come In Adult Sizes, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 18:00:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17411582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DuendeJunior/pseuds/DuendeJunior
Summary: Shorter has a thing to ask of Eiji. Ash is not amused by any of their choices.





	of cats and crocs

**Author's Note:**

> real eiji loving hours server: talks about shorter wearing crocs  
> me: man why are the sparkly ones only for kids? my boy would shine bright like a diamond with those  
> rimi: it should be for adults too and we as authors hold the power to make it so. new ao3 tag: "Alternate Universe - Sparkly Pink Crocs Come In Adult Sizes"  
> petra: YES  
> ollie: we just have to write enough fics for it to be recognized as an official tag
> 
> and thus this lil' thing was born. many thanks to everyone involved, and double thanks to ollie for checking if everything was spelled right, ilu

The first thing Eiji hears when he enters the small apartment above the restaurant, is Ash's voice saying "No."

"But why?" Shorter asks.

"Just no."

Puzzled, he walks towards the voices.

They're sitting in the kitchen – or, better yet, Ash is sitting. Shorter is leaning against the plate cabinet with the most dismayed expression Eiji has ever seen in his life (and that's including Ash's face when they first had the College Talk).

Shorter brightens when he sees him coming through the threshold.

"Eiji!" He runs towards Eiji and picks up the grocery bags he was carrying. "Man, you're a lifesaver."

"... Thanks?" He just met Nadia on his way there and relieved her from the bags so she could check on something with the guy who keeps the restaurant books, but fine.

"No, you're not using Eiji for your nefarious purposes," Ash interjects.

"And you're not using big words in my house!"

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" Eiji asks.

Ash glares at Shorter, who keeps looking at Eiji like he's the last bottle of water in a desert.

"Eiji, please,  _please_ tell Ash I need to see Katsu," he says. Eiji puts a hand on Shorter's shoulder just in case he's planning to get on his knees and beg.

"... Okay?" Eiji says, still looking from Ash to him. "We're all home for Thanksgiving, you can drop at Griffin's any time." Ash pouts at them. "And you stop that; it's Griff's house first and yours second."

Ash mouths at him something that looks suspiciously like " _see if I leave you anything in my will_."

Shorter gives him a hug. Like all Shorter hugs, it's full bodied and warm, and very hard to escape from. Not that you'd want to do it. "Eiji, I owe you my life."

Eiji pats his back.

"No, wait, I still refuse to let him see my daughter," Ash says.

"And why is that," Eiji asks from somewhere within the circle of Shorter's arms.

"He wants to go today."

"And...?"

"Eiji. Do me a solid and look at his feet."

It’s with a heavy heart that Eiji pushes Shorter away and looks down.

His eyes are graced with what must be the most glittery pair of crocs in all of New York City. They're also a shock of pink, just like Shorter's hair.

He blinks once, twice. A lot of times.

"Those are different from your usual shoes," he says after a while. He looks up, and Shorter grins at him.

"I got them at a sale! I didn't know they had a special edition for adults."

"Me neither." Now that Shorter mentions it, Eiji has seen a few toddlers running around his neighborhood with those in various colors. "Congrats on finding them! I know how much you love Crocs."

"See, Ash?" Shorter says over his shoulder. "Eiji supports my decisions!"

The stink eye Ash is giving them would be enough to wilt all the flowers in Central Park.

"Whatever, you two can commit crimes against fashion together!" He raises his hands in the air. "But you're not getting anywhere near Katsu with those!"

...

"... Ah," Eiji says. "So that's the problem."

"Of course!" Ash huffs. "Shorter is not inflicting glittery Crocs in the house where I raise my child."

Eiji rolls his eyes and walks towards Ash. "Ash. Love. Sweetheart." he puts his hands on Ash's shoulders and gives them a squeeze. "Pumpkin." He can _feel_ the shivers running down Ash's spine at that. "Has Shorter seen the bed you bought for her yet?"

"Eiji..."

"I'll assume he hasn't."

"What's up with her bed?" Shorter asks. Eiji fishes his phone out of his pocket and runs through his gallery. He keeps the other hand firmly on Ash.

"Aha," he says when he finds what he's looking for. He beckons Shorter closer. "Behold. The bed our Aslan Jade here bought for Katsu."

There it is, in all its glory, the tiger print bed Ash fought him to buy all those months ago. It has turned into a shadow of its former self through regular use and cleaning, but the shock of animal print is still very much there, along with a dash of bright green paint no one is quite sure how it got there. Griffin denied he’d ever laid a hand on the bed before they could ask, so naturally he’s suspect #1.

Shorter puts a hand over his mouth to hide his snickers. "Oh my god, Ash," he says. "That's not much better."

"You two stop!" ash says. "That bed is art."

"Shorter's Crocs are too, if you look at them from a different angle," Eiji says.

"Is this what they taught you at photography school?" Ash retorts with horrified eyes. "What are they doing to my Eiji?"

"They're broadening his horizons," Shorter says, leaning ever so slightly towards Ash, his arm still around Eiji's neck.

"Hey, look at Mr. _Don't use big words in my house_!"

"As said before, it's _my house_ , therefore I can do it."

"You two, stop!" Eiji says, before Shorter manages to _literally_ drag him down. Shorter sets them both straight with an apology, and he fixes his shirt. "Shorter, it'll be a pleasure having you for lunch one of these days, with or without Crocs. Just don't wear anything black; it'll never be the same again." He turns to Ash. "And okay, Katsu's bed is art, you win. But you're not banning Shorter from visiting. Are we all on the same page?"

A beat of silence.

"Yes," Ash and Shorter say in unison. It's a tad creepy.

"... Okay," Eiji repeats. Crisis averted. "Oh, Shorter, I forgot: Nadia asked me to tell you to get started with dinner, she's going to come back home a bit late today."

"Oh, thanks, man." Shorter gives him an one-armed hug this time. Somehow, it's as 80% as effective as the full bodied one. or something. Math was never Eiji's strongest suit. "Are you two staying for dinner?"

“Of course," Ash says before Eiji can think. He's already typing something on his phone, probably telling Griffin they'll eat at the Wong’s. "You're paying me back for that. With dumplings."

Shorter gleefully gives him the finger. Ash answers in kind (he knows at least four different ways to do that).

Eiji drops down on a chair.

 _Family_ , he sighs, with more than a dash of fondness.

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](https://everymanwillbeaking.tumblr.com)   
>  [twitter](https://twitter.com/misguidedLight)


End file.
